The VideoLAN Forums

VLC currently only plays the music files found in the immediate directory.
Can you please let it search recursively into the specified directory and play all the music files found under it?

Thanks a lot.
Justin

Am having same issue. The only way I can get it to work is by unticking first box and go to the directory and tick that. But then lost every other file in from the rest of storage. I have tries to type the directory so can add new one, but have no idea what format to type it either > or \ I tried both and tires wording it different as well :/

Ah. Just found way to fix it. Could take some whole depending on how many folders you know where files are. Go to settinga > directory > untick first box > then find all folders with files in and tick those. > refresh on main page > done hope developer could change so don't have to do that.

i tried this, but on my asus zenpad i could not see how to do the "refresh on main page". how do you refresh??? on the main screen there is not an obvious way to refresh.

i posted a more general query about the same issue (finding directories on the sd external card) a few days ago and haven't received any responses yet.

i tried it again, a few more times. and the problem for me seems be that if i follow your directions exactly, after i untick the first box (internal memory) then i don't know what to do to find folders with files in them on my external sd card. my external sd card, when clicked on at that point, shows no files found. what am i doing wrong???

To refresh you can just 'pull down' / 'scroll down' or at top right should be 3 dots to open a menu 'refresh' is there. And that's right you won't be able to see any files your are just looking for directory folder. Use a file manager to see where all the files are. then when you go for example "internal memory > Android > data > com.Android. music ' don't go into file but on page before tick that box, and do that for all directory folders. Make sure you untick very first box and don't tick first box again.
Hope this helps if not just reply I will try help another way.

thanks for your response, but i'm still stuck. l let's go back to the beginning.

when i start vlc, i see only a folder for internal memory

when i click on the menu symbol in the upper left corner of that screen, i get a list of menu items, from videos down to About

right above about is settings

when i touch settings, i get a bunch of choices, from directories to developer. the first item is directories

when i touch directories, i see two folders - internal memory and microSD

i then untick internal memory by pressing on it and holding for a second or so

at that point i seem to be stuck. if i click on the microSD folder, which is still ticked, i get a screen with msg saying directory is empty.

how do i get from that msg and screen to finding or ticking anything??? i know what folder contains the files without using a file manager, but i cant get that folder to appear on my screen. HAALP!!! (and thanks)

Okay my app is in dark mode so dont worry about that. Hope the images work never done it before.

Now to directory



To untick just click the box

You can start with either. With you I assume exsd click on that.
Then example am going to exsd > Android > data > com.Android.music


Then go one page back


And do that for all folders where there are files you want Vlc to search for files.

Hope this helps

To refresh




That is where refresh is.

thanks for the carefully-prepared explanation. it seems to work, although for my purposes just using the file manager and then selecting the desired file from within the file manager seems to be easier. it's obvious that vlc has some shortcomings in its android implementation for videos.

but stepping back for a moment, my real problem seems to be that although vlc does support the playing of DVD folders from within vlc itself if the dvd folders are on the internal memory, they don't seem to be playable when they are on the external sd memory. the best i'm able to do in that case is the select-from-file-manager method.

maybe i need to contact one of the forum managers on this issue directly. what do you think??

Can I just ask what people mean (as more than you say it) DVD? I know what dvd is but how on phone?

dvd is a format that is supported by vlc on windows. it is based on having a folder that contains a number of files, in addition to the main video file or files that are called .VOB files. when played from a disc on windows, vlc plays a video that has a click (or touch) sensitive main menu screen, from which one selects the desired videos. in addition there are controls that let one move from chapter to chapter within a given video. it is a standard format for dvd disc players.

under windows, vlc works fine, just like a dvd player: main menu screen, and chapters within individual vids. under android, vlc works almost as good, kind of a fake menu item selection, and no chapters. but it's pretty good anyway. however, it only works when the video files are on the internal memory. when the VIDEO_TS folder, which seems to be the standard dvd folder is on secondary sd memory, one can only play the individual menu-item vids by selecting them from the file manager. no chapter capability, and no selection from the main menu. not so good...

i hope that makes it clearer.

I get vob. that comes from DVD player but why? ( can answer via priv message) just still don't get why have get DVD rip on phone.

i guess that there was enough need for dvd on android that the vlc people put some effort into vlc on android to make a pretty good android implementation of it, at least when the dvd folder is in internal primary storage. probably the need for it is because people who have large collections of dvds would want to watch their dvds on their android devices. without having to convert their dvds to other video formats.

also for some types of content, the navigation functionality is valuable. such as lectures and other reference materials. i'm a musician, and use dvds for my demo videos. the navigation there is very good for presentation purposes.

Oh right I see. Anyway back to post question. Yeah think should get VLC to get an answer. Don't know how. Surly they would have read this post by now.

thanks for riding with me on this one. it all helped me clarify my thinking. i'll see if i can get a response from one of the moderators here.

ciao, and thanks...